7 Quick Ways to Improve Your Organization’s Online Presence

Managing your online presence as a nonprofit can be enormous.

Odds are that you do not have an entire marketing department. In fact, chances are that you may only have a person or 2 with the skills and time to put toward a digital marketing presence. But you still have a website to manage, plus an array of social media accounts, an email newsletter and much more.

So where do you start? Below are 7 easy places to begin.

1. Keep your brand consistent

All interactions that people have with your organization should be consistent. This is a no small undertaking, but begin with a few easy edits. Start by making sure your logo, colors and fonts (when applicable) are the same across all of your digital media platforms and fit within your brand standards. While your brand includes the aesthetic of your organization, it is more than just that. Use the same language and tone across all mediums so your organization’s voice feels familiar and human.

Don’t have brand guidelines? Check out the Red Cross’s Brand Guidelines Poster as an example.

2. Make your mission easy to find

Many organizations bury their mission statement on their website. Your mission should be one of the first statements someone sees when they land on your website.

On our home page, you can quickly read about the Make-a-Thon for Make a Mark.

“Make a Mark is a 12-hour design and development marathon benefitting our local non-profits. Some of our community’s biggest problems are solved entirely by volunteers. Problem is, most non-profits don’t have the resources to design and develop the kinds of things it takes us a day to create. For 1 day, we gather some of the best designers and developers to work on projects for some of the most impactful organizations.”

On social media platforms, there are areas for a brief description of your organization’s mission. Be prepared to add a shorter version of your mission, and keep it the same across platforms. This is easier to maintain.

“Make a Mark is a 12-hour design and development marathon benefitting our local non-profits.”

3. Include contact information, not just a contact form

One of my biggest frustrations when reaching out to an organization is not being able to find an email address. In my experience, contact forms are easy to overlook, and because of this, I am far less likely to fill out one. While having contact forms and the ability to filter through messages is convenient, they end up causing organizations to miss out on a lot of opportunities. Contact information should also be easy to find on your social media platforms. Make sure to include at least an email, and check your social media pages for direct messages.

4. Choose a clear Call to Action (CTA)

Make it easy for someone to take action. If your organization wants donations, make that donation button big and bold. Make the process as short and simple as possible for the person to participate. You shouldn’t have to continue to click and provide pages of information to donate your money or volunteer your time.

Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition, has 3 clear Calls to Action that are consistent with the brand and suited for their different audiences.

5. Update with regularity

Whether it is via social media, email or your website, make sure you are interacting with your audience with some regularity. Updates increase engagement and investment, as well as potentially improving the SEO on your website.

Daily social media updates, monthly email newsletters and quarterly website updates are a good place to start for a busy nonprofit marketer.

6. Adopt tools to help

Find tools that help you organize your thoughts and plans so you can start thinking long term. There are lots of free and cheap options that can help you develop and keep up with your digital marketing plan.

Buffer — a social media scheduling tool with easy analytics

Asana — a project management tool that allows you to hold conversations, share files and view calendars across the organization

Trello — another project management tool that lets you view projects based on tasks as cards, boards and lists

7. Find room in your budget

Make a Mark was born out of the idea that marketing, design and storytelling is crucial for nonprofits to be impactful. It was also born out of the idea that funds for this kind of work can be difficult to find. But if you’re able to negotiate line items, advocate for a marketing and design budget or use funds not attached with a grant, this will benefit your organization immensely.

For more info, subscribe to the newsletter or send an email to me at hello@letsmakeamark.org.